Library demo

Yesterday was lovely 🙂 I  do enjoy displays for kids so long as the theme is very particular. So we were teaching history.

I generally don’t have that sort of hook in recreation costumes, so it winds up being a better opportunity to do activities such as read.

It was also lovely getting interesting questions from kids and parents.

So happy to hear there were people interested in the dressing a lady part 🙂 The worry is that after a full display of gothic plate makes everything else pale in comparison! So it was a relief- I really wanted the Spanish ensemble because I could have talked about the differences between male and female dress and how very similar they are in places.

But I do now have all the patterns to go through and work out a generic layer of paddings and facings.

So, I need to keep hunting for sliver lace for my Marie Antoinette- I am seriously going to look at sarees, it’s rare to find two the same but I need about 20m of lace and close to that in scrolling appliques.

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Passion project-2 1600 silver Spanish court gown before I fall alseep

Landvoogden Albrecht en Isabella van OostenrijkIts a cool name for a cool but insane ensemble I have been plotting for years. It has taken years just to get the fabric sorted! but sorted it is ????
This s the portrait that inspired it all. Well actually a copy of the portrait that inspired me. That one though is just madness embroidered in insanity…

I have discussed this on Livejournal several times so I shall try and copy the entries over here.

Or I shall just link to the tags ????

http://pinkdiamond.livejournal.com/tag/spanish
http://pinkdiamond.livejournal.com/tag/saya
http://pinkdiamond.livejournal.com/tag/ropa

So I have several layers:
Camisa (chemise/shirt)
Verdugardos (farthingale/hoops)
Cuerpo baxo (stays/corset)
faldalin (petticoat)
Saya (skirt)
Jubon (doublet)
Ruffs (ummm ruffs- haven’t tracked down the Spanish term, I really should)
Galerilla (a semi fitted Ropa or surcoat or robe) y manga redonda (hangng sleeves of a circle folded in half)

I have several fabrics:
Camisa fine linen, approx 3m
Verdugardos approx 2.2m canvas, 2.2m green ilk twill, 15m crimson velvet ribbon, 2.2m brown linen
Cuerpo baxo approx70cm linen-cotton twill, 70cm linen lining, 100 cable tie bones
faldalin 1 yellow silk saree, approx1.5m brown linen
Saya, Galarilla y manga redonda 7.5m white and gold silk and cotton brocade, 7.5m calico interlining, 7.5m silk dupion (two shades as t is partially recycled) for lining, 50m heavy bullion braid trim, 50m cotton twill tape to support the braid, brass buttons.
Jubon silk charmeause backed with cotton sateen (recycled would be approx 1.5m), 1.5m calico, 1.5m cotton sateen (both for lining), 7m wide silver ribbon, 9m narrow silver rbbon, brass buttons
Ruffs sheer linen, unsure of what lace, but will require 10m in length of fabric/lace for the neck and 1.5-2m for each wrist.

Jubon progress

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Did stuff

Bought thread, pulled apart costume for zip for Maleficent, sewed a row of ribbon on my verdugardos, tidied channels along seams on the inside of verdugardos, covered and inserted shoulder pads in my spring jacket (also reshaped the shoulders), dyed fabric for farthingale hem (firm cotton and fulled wool) trimmed Valois skirt (tore skirt, fixed skirt) reassembled skirt pinned in full silk lining.

Now I think I can have a break, but I may wind up trying to do more of my Cleves hem trimming.

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The next few months

Not hectic, but a lot of planning 🙂 And not in order of importance.

!) Spanish work. I have texts and physical costume to finish. They are both at the personally satisfying stage but not at all ready for public viewing. But the two have been working together. And I do now have my physical project stored in a way I can work on what needs to be worked on.

2) Cleves/Cologne wardrobe. Finally got my “sunt” kirtle made. This is so that I can do all the finishing work on my gown and accessories while I work on the undergarments proper. I know I am bang on in fit and contruction of my outer gear (making a new heuke though) but the undergarments are taking a little more time.

3) Marie Antoinette. This is possibly my last media recreation costume for a while, so it’s going to be a delicate but ultimately workable project. There are elements I can bang out quickly, there are going to be small hand worked elements. And I finally decided how to tackle the lace. It’s not the first time I have hunted for real metal lace so I know how and where to look.

4) Mina. I need that corset made.

5) Maleficent. The gown is fitted and assembled, I need to figure out the machine sewing stage as pressure and thread and everything will affect the hang of the seams. Hand sewing might be my best bet. This is bias cutting and it is only mildly less difficult than with charmeuse satin.

6) Sunburst. It’s been ridiculously long time coming, and I am still not sure I have enough supplies. I think I missed out on the last lot of beads that match so I’m going to have to carry a swatch with me.

7) Workshops- waiting to hear back what is going to be the best match. But I now have a frame work to make these totally portable. But I also have to make it clear I do not do easy techniques, they are not shortcuts, what I teach is a way to look at a project with a different eye. I do teach some basic principles but they are not easy. Once you get it though, oh it makes everything else make sense.

8) Showcase. Yep I’m having a showcase of my work, and so I need to tailor that to the audience, so I will be promoting that as soon as it pops up.

9) Other workshops. These are going to be limited and I am struggling with the self promotion aspect. Had way too many knocks. Not valid ones, they come from misunderstanding but it still has decentered me enough to not be in marketing headspace. Marketing is not about being self assured it’s about promotion. I don’t do that!

10) children’s charity events- got a few planned. I need to confirm a few.

11) Elsa. I need a new cape. My cape is literally too beautiful for this world- it’s so delicate that I want to preserve it. This is not a flaw, this is me making art in a format that is not really intended for durability. Oh it’s going strong, but repeatedly handling it is going to break it down eventually.

12) Website. It’s 13 years since I self hosted so maybe this year is just feeling worse because of that number. I don’t believe it is unlucky, but rather it was Friday the 13th that we had the house fire, so it’s just there in my mind. So coincidences stand out. Confirmation bias or whatever, I still just feel the need to do better.

And my site has really changed from what I wanted due to interference of others, but I do need to play catch up and do this asap. My archive of what I have done has been lost and it’s no use me saying “but I did that in year x” if I don’t have my work up then it’s meaningless.

I think that’s it. Enough to try and get a handle on anyway 🙂

 

Today is tidying up after the sewing and organising so it’s going to be a day of rest, then tidy, rest, then tidy.

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more hemming

My cleves gown really needs to play catch up with my Saya Entera and Vasquina y Ropa. So this gown is using all the resources at the moment 🙂 I need to decide on adding to my embroidery pattern so that means sorting out pearls by size.

Shower time, and then hemming. It is well worth it just tough!

 

 

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Early start to what should be a good day

First a shower, I am online with a coffee to wake up. Then removing some clothing from my project workboxes, and then I can work on my real passion projects:

  1. Vasquina y ropa y manga redonda. It still needs a jubon y manga justa. That will require my embroidery frame set up to lay the miles of trim on!
  2. Maleficent Christening Gown- so close to finished, and then I can work out how much leather I really want. Also I have a date for this one now 🙂
  3. Mina Red Gown- well I need my corset finished to refit the bodice. My new mannequin is amazing so should be much easier.
  4. Marie Antoinette silver gown- I had some fail with finding enough colour remover, I have it now and can press it all tidy.
  5.  Worth Sunburst gown- I need to transfer the cutwork, so it’ll be a case of machining the detail and then beading on the frame and finally cutting.
  6. Cleves festkleid, I am facing tiny narrow strips and scarps for the hem as spotlight no longer sells vibrant red velveteen (crimson- it’s crimson)

So that is a lot, but I’m able to put the projects in different project boxes so I can use the machine and frame.

The neighbours are also working early- so this is great. I’ll put All The Musicals on! To the CD storage box.

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Hah! laundrey detergent back in the positive!

In other words I made my Elsa cape purple again. Luckily before I resorted to buying blue acrylic ink (as it does tint very well- though it needs to adhere and the risk of streaks is high when you use water and the risk of flame too great when using alcohol) I decided to use one kettle of not quite boiled water and more than a cup of laundry detergent.

So a small trek back… My poor white and silver Silly Spanish frock was ruined by the cat peeing and the laundry detergent staining. The cat pee washed out but as laundry detergent uses a bluing agent my fabric was ruined. I then soaked the whole shebang in detergent and it mostly worked. But I still had to remove the trim. All 3kg of it so far (about 6 1/2 pounds).

You can see the bluing agent as grain like nodules in the powder- you can buy without but this is more common here. The detergent I used on the Silly Spanish frock was only a warm blue. This current detergent? It’s a mix of cool blue and green. Yes green.

THIS IS AMAZING!

Anyway. So having turned my fabric purple (again) I decided to at least try a super concentrated wash. The water and powder mix was a lovely china blue. Once I put the fabric in it went purple. Which means excess dye is coming out. And now. Well in the green bucket it reads as electric blue. So this is good as it will be worn next to cool blue so if it doesn’t read as purple against very definitely green I am already winning.

So photos of the progress soon. At the moment it’s a bucket full of suds with a wee bitty of fabric poking through.

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Wow, I have been away a long time…..

Or at least it feels like it. I am still rehabilitating my body after the last six months of inactivity due to the sinus infection. I am not sure if I have cleared it but I am able to sit up, look at a monitor for more than five minutes. Except today. Today I am zombiefied because of the two steps forward one step back pattern I am currently in.

But I have had a chance to clear out several projects I felt hampered by, knowing I would never finish them or lost the desire to finish and so felt a bit disloyal to part with them.

This has left me with a much more manageable pile of stash fabrics and in progress costumes. I am also going to clear out some more. I really do not “need” everything. I like having a rnage of costumes but I am at the point where I have so many to choose from I feel held down by the weight of them as well.

So this year I have decided to make a final list of Must Do/Finish?repair and they should fill the next five years nicely.

1) Think of Me Gown, the full kit from slave girl through to dressing gown. I have the dressing gown, pointe shoes (I want to soften them a little more to be able to wear them and strengthen my ankles back to the state they were when I first bought them) and most of the fabrics and trim to make the overgown.
Aim to finish this year for Auckland Armageddon.

2) Cleves gown overhaul. The gown was decimated by the dry cleaners so I have totally recut a new shell of maroon faille (perfect for a Cercei gown if I can bare to face that embroidery) and black silk duchesse satin. The bodice is still the came canvas and I will be able to line the sleeves in vintage bordering on antique tube rat. I never use new fur, and tend to buy seconds or recycled animal products and I hate the smell of tanned skin but for this gown I really do aim to make it as accurate in materials as I can.
Aim for possibly next year? Would love to get her finished for the Bloth/Baronial Anniversary but I really am having a very slow recovered back to good health and this is a project that will require a lot of handsewing.

3) Worth Sunburst gown. If I culd get this finished I would get my butt to the Oamaru Hertiage festival. If not I’m going to Howick and posing the plce up due to the beautiful atmostpheric lighting. This has a tablier of cutwork and beading. I am going for a blend of the two variations so I can use glass pearls for the clouds. The Met clouds are formed from cut glass beads. The Kyoto gown though is pink. So Met base colours and trim and shape, Kyoto beading. On hold for about 6 years. Time to actually transfer the pattern (currently on paper ready to pin and machine the pattern in place- I plan on machining the pattern to really stabilise the cut work) and then repair my stand up frame and get beading.

4) Silly spanish. This is actually the most doable as the linen thread to hold the trim is easy on my hands once waxed properly.
Again I’d love to get this done for BA, but I may wait until I have a Kingdom level event I can attend.

5) Nyreen. Luckily the pattern for the fabric parts are done. I have fabric I can use for the bodysuit but I may invest in a new can for my airbrush and airbrush the pattern to the bodysuit fabric. Then it’s a case of adapting footwear and making armour from foam- not fibreglass or leather!) simply because this is the first costume where I feel it an appropriate material that I have done.
Love to be done by WellyGeddon if I can.

6) Mon Mothma. I keep pushing this back but she is going to be a nice simple costume to wear even if no one recognises her. I just need to remold the brooches as the last set tore. I am avoiding epoxy though so this may take a while just to make sure I don’t trigger a big allergic reaction. I have some molds and costume pieces to repair so will save it all up for them.

7)c1600s Cleves style. So far just a swingy coat half made. All hand sewn though and fully lined so I have a reason for it to be held off 😉

8) super fine ruff and partlet. A hem of less and 2mm is still tough on my hands, but while my eyes are still good I’d like to attempt it!

9) Wedding Dress from Phantom. I have most pieces and have managed to salvage much of my original piece. I aim to make it hook up the front as per the very original and take elements from favourite versions from around the world. Including the super amazing bow trails from the Japanese production.

10) MLP inspired costume. Fluttershy is my totem (her reticence, surprising amount of understanding of things people assume she is ignorant of and her few glimpses of rage).

11) repair Shae, Talon and Shaak Ti, as well as redo the Mina bodice.

I also have my Tissot inspired dress to repair and the Green Spring dress to decide to finish or not. Both mid 1870s.

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Day 16-30

(Have collated days 1-15 in one post, once these are done will do the same for the rest)

30 Day Cosplay Challenge!

Day 16

Not locally because I’m the smelly judge 😉 No really. But I am part of one or two groups that not everyone can say they have been invited to be a part of 😉 I may one day get to meet another member if I am lucky. They all bloody live in the US! 😉

17. What events have you cosplayed to?

Again, costuming in general because it’s more what I do 😉

SCA events: Since 2004. They are semi-private in that you need to be a member to attend (though this does include “event” memberships).

Theatre: when I did theatre I would regularly costume myself or others or do hair and make up.
Armageddon: recreation costumes.

Charity events: I got to be Peter Rabbit when I was at high school and just adored it. Since then I have used every excuse under the sun to do more.

18. What is your best cosplay memory?

Hmmm…. so many good ones 🙂

SCA: being laurelled for sure 🙂 While I didnt have all my friends I had a lot of good people. And the venue was amazing and the whole event. Sadly so many of those venues are gone due to the Christchurch Earthqaukes.

Theatre: performing at the Aotea Centre 🙂 Irish Dance spoof. It was fun.

Charity: Peter Rabbit at Starship and Ever After at Special CHildren’s Christmas Party (07)

 

19. What is your worst cosplay memory?

Hmmmm….. health issues have made a number of events really pretty horrid. Home burning down made one pretty shocking too.

 

20. Have you won any cosplay awards?

Yep 🙂 1st at Armageddon Auckland 03, 04 and 3rd 04 Welly Geddon and Best Costume Auckland 06.

Also best costume Sydney Supanova 10 (saturday)

i’ve also helped others who have gone on to win contests here and overseas.

And in the SCA I was laurelled for my costume research.

And several audience participation awards in various places.

 

21. Show us your best cosplay derp photo!

derp as opposed to just sheer bloody awful? Hmmm…. how about a video instead?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDyOtvv9L3k

And like omg a fat comment. *eyeroll*

22. Have you worn cosplay in a regular situation? (eg. at school, to work)

No.

 

23. Your most expensive cosplay

Not yet finished. And costume as opposed to cosplay 🙂 Though weight/cost it’s probably not too bad…

Saya y Jubon y Galarilla (skirt with short train, doublet and semi fitted coat) c1600 Spanish.

Skirt and coat (and additional matching doublet to turn it into a Saya entera):

Silk/cotton brocade: 7m

silk dupioni lining: 7m

22m silver bullion trim (I need another 10 at least, so far 1.5kg of trim…. possibly silver plated definitely over copper wire)

Glass pearls, at least as many metres worth to be strung and couched.

Cotton muslin for interlining.

Doublet (jubon):

Silk satin for doublet

cotton sateen lining of doublet

hair canvas for interlining

linen canvas for interlining

14m silver ribbon for doublet

silver buttons for doublet and coat and sleeves.

Underskirt (faldalin):

1 silk saree

2m tabby linen

farthingale (verdugardos):

15m velvet ribbon

2.5m silk twill

2.5 starched cotton canvas

2.5m tabby linen

26m flat steel (will be using plumbers coil)

Corset (cuerpo baxo):

1m linen satin

1m fine linen

120 individually cut bones (probably cable ties)

I have not managed a total cost but even with good prices this is heading to $700 easily in raw materials alone. Half of that on trim.

 

24. Your most comfortable cosplay and most uncomfortable cosplay

Done and all respectively. Really. I don’t do comfy.

 

25. The cosplay you put the most effort into

It would have been easier to answer least effort as I do so very few that aren’t OMGWTF was I thinking????

My AvP Human Hunter sent me to hospital.

My Slave Leia almost did the same and I will be lucky if my new Bounty Hunter doesn’t do the same. Allergy to the world I haz it. But specifically epoxy allergy. And it is one of those repeat exposure= exponentially worse. i am a pink duckface is what I’m saying after three days.

My Historic stuff is based on a few decades of research and understanding of historical technique. Believe it or not what works for 16thC doesn’t work for 18th or 19th. And then the early 20thC.. SHEER BLOODY MADNESS!!!!!!!!!

But currently my Bounty Hunter. I am far better at organic shapes and styles when it comes to sculpting and working outside of fabric. But I am having great fun converting my hand drawn patterns into computer files (printable as gifs but lines were vectors originally 🙂 The files will be released once I have made my own gear. I think that is fair enough!

 

26. Any unfinished costumes?  Will you ever finish them?

Ahahahhahahahahhahahahahahhahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahhahahahahahhahahahahahahahhahahahahah

Ehem.

Just a few. No idea when any of them will be finished. Some yes, some will be finished to the point others can finish and wear them.

So…

Padme Fireside, Padme light blue, Codex, Shae Vizla, Mina Red dress, Lucy lilac dress (Both from Dracula), Satine Pink Diamonds, Dawn white corset, Poison Ivy, Dark Phoenix, Glinda bubble

Silly Spanish c1600, Cleves/Cologne Festkleid redo, ruff of doom

Worth Sunburst (c 1887), 1830s cotton, 1860s green velvet, 1890s Hunting, 1760s smocked gown, hanfu…

Actually it’s not that bad a UFO pile compared to what I was thinking… I just have a few other containers of fabric not even cut yet… Nor things I have thought of doing but haven’t even started buying fabric for.

27. How many wigs do you own? Which is your favourite?

Umm… Lets see:

Leia, Dreads, black goth.. I used to have more but got rid of them. I do have a few hair pieces and have just bought human hair wefts to make my own wig 🙂

fave is definitely the dreaded wig.It is a full wig but worn as a 3/4 so my own hairline blends into it. A lot of people were fooled into thinking it was my own hair.

http://articles.glittersweet.com/howto/recreations/bigwig.htm

28. Where do you work on your cosplays and where do you store them when they’re done?

I am very lucky to have a workroom 🙂 Ever since i have had access to a converted garage I have been able to get into the really mucky stuff (latex, resin, drilling, sanding etc.) so that is where I do most of my work. I do have to make sure my fabrics are stored in plastic containers with lids and that I keep the sewing machines cleaned regularly due to this dust and mucky stuff though.

Storage after… well I am trying to keep myself limited to the wire drawers I store my costumes in. I use wire drawers as Auckland is so muggy and where I live is really very damp (a lot of greenery) that my oak wardrobe and drawers are at risk of mildew. The wire drawers keep everything aired really well too.

So I try and limit to that (when I get too much I start giving stuff away). But my Togruta headpiece and my resin pieces are stored on top of my wardrobe.

I have far more storage for stuff to make costumes from than costumes and more costumes than clothes. Maybe not individual pieces (socks number many) but in volume yes.

I also build my costumes to be able to be stored as easily as they can. My Mina dress for instance will fold up- the fully pleated skirt as one piece, the drapery will also be able to be undone and folded and then the bodice over that will lay flat. The jewelery is stored in a cabinet and wigs and boots stored as much as possible with regular clothes.

It is just all very out of order right now due to post WellyGeddon mess. And due to poor health and lack of energy.

29. What is your favourite cosplay item? (eg. a pair of shoes, a wig)

My Togruta headpiece 😀 Even more fun than Samara though pretty much everything looks cooler with alien tentacles 😉

30. Describe cosplay in three words.  No more, no less.

Playing dress ups.

Really. You can do all sorts of other things with it like get involved in the community and social aspect, you can focus on the art side. But the second you wear the costume for fun it is dressing up. And there is nothing wrong with that. It has a very long history. Usually for the very rich rather than anyone else but still. Check out the fancy dress balls of the 1800s. Very speccy and silly.

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Day 1-15

30 Day Cosplay Challenge!

1. Your first cosplay.

Christine Daae. Funnily enough. Not a direct copy, an interpretation for a Song in Costume class for the North Shore Performing Arts Competition in 1994.

Can’t find my photo of it online. Ah well. I still have it. To remind myself of how far I have come but also what you can do with blind ambition 😉

I won that class by the way 😉

2. How many costumes have you done?

Ummmmmmmmmmmmmm……………………………..

http://costumes.glittersweet.com/resume.htm

That’s most of them.

I count 92 there….. And that doesn’t include the ones this year…..  or last. Right. Okay.

3. Your most recent cosplay.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/newswirenz/5617674233/

Darth Tykhi. Sith Togruta.

4. Your cosplay communities, where do you go to talk about cosplay?

Livejournal, cosplay.com, CNZ, the RPF, SWNZ, Flagship Eclipse, Rebel Legion, Australian Costumer’s Guild.

I also have many yahoo groups I am still on, though many of them were from when they were called eGroups or were hosted elsewhere.

5. Blatant self plug! Link us to your cosplay page, be it dA, ACP, Coscom, whatever

Okay………

http://costumes.glittersweet.com

http://articles.glittersweet.com

http://glittersweet.deviantart.com

Not really sure I want to link to all my profiles online everywhere 🙂

6. Your favourite cosplay (that you have done)

Coooooo…… ummmm… I don’t have just one 🙂 I do way too many different things that I cannot fairly compare 🙂

(Added ‘cause I meant to originally say:)

Because of the pretty intense research and development of all of them. I really need to get more of that online. Whoops!

7. The character you have cosplayed that is most similar to you (if none that you have cosplayed, then one that you will cosplay)

Hmmmm…… I don’t think i chose characters because they are like me so I really can’t say any is most like me without it being “most like me out of a whole lot thataren’t like me at all.” 😉

I like to choose characters that have some story to them and mostly their stories are not the same as mine. I don’t think anyone could say I am like a character I have ever costumed from. I may share some strengths and some weaknesses.

 

8. Your cosplay plans for the rest of the year (if you have no more for this year, then do next year!)

 

Oooh, well I have been trying to scale back but these are the ones I need to do:
Shae Vizla: Bounty Hunter from the Deceived cinematic trailer for Star Wars: The Old Republic.

Mina: Red “absinthe” dress.

Glinda bubble dress: from Wicked, I can sing the part and I just reallyw ant to fluff around and eventually have a sparkly frock for child centric events:)

Then I also need to finish a few projects to get them out of the UFO pile:

Mystique: boots nearly made 🙂

Padme fireside: I love the fabric so much

Worth Sunburst gown: 1887 gown at the met Museum. I will be doing my own version seeing as Worth copied the gown at least once for another client and with different colours and pearls in place of faceted beads. So I have the pearls of one and the colour of the original

c1600 Stupid Spanish Gown: as the name suggests silly project of epic silliness. Ruff as wide as my shoulders, 2kg of bling trim and an entire 60L container of fabric.

1830s day dress: windowpane cotton dress.

And any work others may fling at me 🙂

 

 

9. The dream cosplay that might just happen

I have just about completed that list 😀

My dream costumes have all been from the artwork that inspired me from my early days. So they are:
Slave Leia: I saw the film at the theatre when it was first released. I collected all the cards i could as they were all I could afford. It was probably the first costume that inspired me as a costume and so it was a long time coming. Also girls can freaking make props and work with resin!

Catwoman: I didn’t see the film at the theatre I don’t think but fairly soon after. but I loved Catwoman growing up and this version is so wonderful for so many reasons, though as a stand alone.

Christine Blue Dress: I was 9 or 10 when I first heard music from Phantom and very soon after got the recording. Hooked.

So the ones left:

Mina Red Dress: Eiko is amazing her costumes are pure art. And this one is nearly finished.

ummm.. and I think that’s it. I have a lot of “want to make” but not so many Dream costumes left. A heck of a lot of “want to make” like several G worth of files…. But they don’t have the same connection to them that I have with these.

 

 

10. The dream cosplay that will never happen

Only because I am broken and don’t like getting help (pride, the fact that I have a valid reason makes it harder to accept help) The Elizabeth Armour in real metal. I do still want to make it but will probably do so with plastic.

 

 

11. Something cosplay-related that you will never do (eg. crossplay, cosplay from a certain series)

Hmmm…. probably cross play actually. Though no I have done that. I don’t make a very convincing boy. I’m okay being a Bob- clearly girl in boy clothes a la Bob from Blackadder II- but being a convincing boy?

So not for “moralistic” reasons just that I really would not do any justice. Though I do want to be The Kurgen one day. And I do want to Dress as Freddie For a Day.

So maybe that’s not really on point…

12. Your cosplay idol.

Animal X yo!

Not a cosplayer but costumer as artist and craftsman. She is amazing and was one of the very first to really elevate this dressing up lark.

All you yungin’s need to get The Costume Maker’s Art. You need to. See what was being produced long before the internet and easy access to information from others and even easy contact with other people who share the same passion.

So:

http://www.costume-con.org/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=1373&g2_page=8

My favourite of her work.

And lighting up costumes since 1991!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJTdJ3DpcH0

the book:

http://biblioz.co.nz/lp25762225886.html

I read that very soon after it was published, it basically gave a name to what I wanted to do. At a time when there was nothing local it was very reassuring.

13. Your cosplay specialty (ie. something that seems to apply to a large amount of your cosplays, it could be a specific series, or a common feature in their appearance, such as glasses)

Ermm… I’m not sure. I don’t think there is a pattern:

http://costumes.glittersweet.com

Except I do have a liking for a lack of furbelows and overly ornate details. I like a bit of subtlety in that regard. So I like textures and manipulation of fabric (pleating, slashing quilting etc.) over lots of lace and embroidery. I love solid fields of colour as opposed to patterns. If there is a pattern I prefer woven in design over print and generally geometric over floral.

Heck even the bubble dress is a symphony of use of one colour in many diffferent materials and textures.

And I love a challenge! tailoring proper, historical patterning, casting and molding, sculpting… I love it all 🙂

14. Your cosplay-making habits (eg. singing while working on cosplay)

Hmmm… Making a great big mess! Atcually no I like to keep things as organised as possible but there are times I just can’t tidy due to not leaving enogh energy to do so. It can be hard figuring out that point at times.

I do though like to work to a few things:

~ BBC2 Pride and Prejudice. What can I say. Colin Firth, Jennifer Ehle. And it’s 6 hours so I can pace myself fairly well.

~ Musicals!!!!! I generally cycle through the following: Phantom (Dutch and Canadian casts for preference), Wicked, Aida, Jane Eyre, Martin Guerre, Hey Mr Producer. I will also pop in the double CD of Jekyll and Hyde (Anthony Warlow, melt)

~Movies: Fifth Element, Space Balls and Ghost Busters usually. They are just fun to listen to and a tiny bit camp 😉

~TV: Big Bang Theory, IT Crowd.

Which of those depends on the weather and what I am doing as they play on my mood a lot. Generally though musicals during the day and movies at night or I wake the neighbours singing loudly. I sing. A lot. Oh yeah, and usually to Mozart and musicals. Mozart knew how to write for the voice, difficult in many areas but not straining or ruinous for the voice.
15. Your least favourite thing about cosplay

The same old.  The issues that arise in all groups! But on the personal journey aspect? Hmmm…. When I have spent too long too closely looking at my work that a 1mm difference in width of a 150mm wide strip becomes so freaking important!

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